Another important consideration everyone seems to have overlooked is durability of the inks on print-at-home photos. In one study, even Epson ink -- one of the longer lasting -- has been independently rated at only 7-8 years. That's far shorter than Kodak prints and not very long for your valuable family photos. I suspect third-party ink on non-Epson paper would be a lot less.

Personally, I only print at home when I need the print ASAP. I would rather have it done professionally and pay a little more.

I have had great luck with Sams Club, and our local Fred Meyer. Their quality is great. I am also trying out winkflash.com. They offer 18c 4x6, glossy or matte, with free shipping. I heard their quality is really good too. I will let you know.

Yes, with Epson printers you do run into more problems due to the fact that the printhead is non-removable, but the only time I had problems was when refilling cartridges...never had trouble with clones.

I have an Epson R300 which has some fairly costly inks, but the output is great. If I need a print "right now" I of course use that printer. However, I live only 3 miles from a Sam's Club which has a very good Fuji digital printer which they keep tuned up. An 8 x 10 print via the traditional lab method through that printer is LESS than $2.00 each. If I need long lasting 8 x 10s then, and don't mind waiting an hour or going back the next day, I actually use Sams for that and am very happy with the output.

You'll find that many times you may not need the very best photo quality, so it's not worth wasting ink/paper via an inkjet on them. Staples (office supply)is currently running sales on the Konica-Minolta 2300W color laser printer.$499 with a $100 mail inrebate (final cost $399). It comes with all the colored toners, and has a laser output of 1200x 600 dpi. (free plug for Minolta!). I picked one of these up a couple of weeks ago, and really like it for casual shots. Many times I may be mailing a pic of the dogs or house to family or friends, and for this it's perfect, and much cheaper to print than ink.

Between these twoprinters, and Sam's, I can make the most costeffective choices for my own needs. Now if you need prints larger than 8 x 10, then you might be better off with your own wide-format inkjet printer at home. Costs for X-large lab prints are pretty steep.

Dano,
I would be very interested in that study you quote. That goes directly against what many, many epson owners I know have said. If it were true, it would be a very big black mark on them.... and I think I would have heard of it by now.

There's no way anyone can beat their pricing especially on 12x18 enlargements (cost the same as 11x14). The workflow is the same, ie edit everything @ home -> take the flash card/CD to the self-served terminals and download/order the prints yourself and pick them up the next day!

Note that many of the comparative studies I have seen quote print lifetimes when kept under glass or otherwise protected and out of the light. Care is needed to read the storage &amp; display conditions used for the study.

Prints on photographic paper willoften have a very long lifetime when mounted under glass as you'll see if you look round the walls of manyhomes. Conversely, inkjet prints that are exposed to sunlight, ozone, etc., will often fade very rapidly (months). So a straight cost comparison is a bit misleading - we're not comparing like with like.

Theses are true "chemical" photographic paper prints output from Noritsu mini-lab machines. BTW if anyone is lucky enough to live in Tx, you can also order/download on-line for later pickup from Costco!

Dano,
I would be very interested in that study you quote. That goes directly against what many, many epson owners I know have said. If it were true, it would be a very big black mark on them.... and I think I would have heard of it by now.

Eric

I am going to have to agree with Eric. I met a couple of very successful digital photographers a couple of weeks ago here in Portland, and they told me that they print all of their larger prints on Epson printers. I think the 1220. These are the prints they sell for mucho money....